Claremont woman gets 25 years to life in prison in child molestation case

By MEGHAN PIERCEUnion Leader CorrespondentJuly 16. 2014 8:31PMNEWPORT — A Claremont woman was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in Sullivan County Superior Court Wednesday, after she pleaded guilty to molesting two toddlers and making child pornography.

Ashley Blood, 25, and her husband, Kevin Blood, 25, of 4 Hanover St., were arrested on multiple charges last year.

In court Wednesday afternoon, she pleaded to two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, one as the primary assailant and one as an accomplice, said Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway.

She received two sentences of 25 years to life in prison for the convictions.

She also pleaded to two counts of manufacturing child sex abuse images for which she received two sentences of 15 to 30 years in prison.

All of the sentences will be served concurrently, Hathaway said.

There were two victims, and each was represented with a sexual assault charge and a manufacturing of child porn charge, Hathaway said.

If she is ever released from prison, she is subject to lifetime parole and lifetime supervision as well as being a registered sex offender. She is also barred from contacting the victims, directly or indirectly, he said.

“She’s going to be under the supervision of the Department of Corrections for the rest of her life,” Hathaway said.The harsh sentences reflect the collaborative efforts Sullivan County prosecutors had with Claremont and Antrim police and the Grafton and Sullivan Child Advocacy Center and the N.H. Division of Children, Youth and Family on the case, Hathaway said.

“It also reflects the revulsion at the conduct that is described in the charges. And it also reflects the abuse of trust of the child that was violated,” Hathaway said.

In December, she was indicted on two counts of manufacturing images or video of child pornography, and one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault.

Last month, the grand jury indicted her on an additional count of aggravated felonious sexual assault.A trial for her husband, Kevin Blood, is set to start Sept. 14. He was indicted on seven charges by the grand jury in December: two counts of manufacturing child sex abuse images and five counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault charges on two victims, ages 1 and 4, between Nov. 1 and Nov. 25.

The Bloods were arrested by Claremont police Dec. 5 after an 11-day investigation.

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